Oct 24, 2019
We’ve all been there: putting the wrong fuel in your car is not an uncommon mistake.
Just like a flat tyre or a foggy windscreen, it always seems to happen at the worst time!
In order to make your life a bit easier, MyCarNeedsA.com has created this short and sweet blog to help you in your time of need.
Diesel pumps will be lubricated with diesel in order for the fuel in the car to run smoothly around the system, however, if petrol is pumped into a diesel car, the mixture of the two fuels will act as a solvent and remove the lubrication causing the metal parts in your car to rub against each other, causing a lot of damage to your car.
Putting diesel into a petrol car isn’t as severe, but it will still cause damage to your car. You might notice that smoke will rise from your bonnet, your car won’t be running as smoothly or, your car might not start at all as diesel cars rely on air heated by compression, instead of an electric spark.
The following steps explain what you should do if you put petrol into a diesel car or vice versa:
Often people don’t realise that they’ve put the wrong fuel into their car until it’s too late and they are on the hard shoulder calling the breakdown service to come and save them.
However, if you have realised that you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car then it’s vital that you don’t turn on your engine: by doing this you are actually saving yourself a lot of money, time and making the mechanics job easier.
This is because as soon as you turn on your engine, the car will suck the fuel into the cars system and start to circulate, thus damaging your car and giving you a hefty bill.
While you are pumping fuel into your car and you realise that you’ve made a mistake- stop and take a minute to work out how much of the wrong fuel you’ve put into your car.
If you have put in less than 10% of the fuel tanks capacity, then you can get away without having to call a repair service: top up the remaining tank with the correct fuel and drive away with no worries.
If you are unsure how much of the wrong fuel you’ve put into your car, then you’ll need to follow the remaining steps:
Tell the petrol station that you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car (it’s nothing to be embarrassed about!). This informs them of what is going on outside and could give you a hand in the next step.
Push your car to a safe place that isn’t blocking up the petrol pumps- if you don’t have a friend with you then ask a worker at the petrol station or see if someone outside will give you a hand.
The final step is for you to call your breakdown service to come and revive your car.
Sometimes it’s possible for the mechanic to repair your car there and then, however, if you have put a lot of the wrong fuel into your car, then they will need to take your car back to their shop and the entire fuel system may need to be replaced.
At MyCarNeedsA.com we did some research and found out that the average cost for a fuel system drain is £306.00
In order to avoid this bill, remember to stay calm and don’t turn on your engine.
If you have found yourself in this sticky situation and need a quote for a fuel system drain for a full fuel system replacement then GET QUOTES from MyCarNeedsA.com today!
